


Maybe When

by JinkoKaminari



Category: BnHA, mha, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Apocalypse, Angst, Apocalypse, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Smut, kamishin, shinkami
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:15:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27056290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JinkoKaminari/pseuds/JinkoKaminari
Summary: “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Hitoshi asks, scanning over me for injuries.I give him a warm and reassuring smile. “I’m alright. Thank you for saving my dumb ass.”He huffs a short laugh and flicks my forehead. “You’re a real damsel in distress, aren’t you?”-------An MHA Apocalypse AU story!
Relationships: Ashido Mina/Sero Hanta, Bakugou Katsuki/Kirishima Eijirou, Hatsume Mei/Iida Tenya, Jirou Kyouka/Yaoyorozu Momo, Kaminari Denki/Shinsou Hitoshi, Midoriya Izuku/Todoroki Shouto
Comments: 6
Kudos: 55





	1. Electric Blades

**Author's Note:**

> I mentioned in my 'Lightning in a Bottle' fic that I was gonna start up a second series so I can get through my entire list faster. Well this is the one I chose!  
> I hope you enjoy it c:
> 
> Want to support me? Consider joining my patreon!
> 
> https://www.patreon.com/JinkoKaminari

(Kaminari’s POV)

“Damn, these things always got to travel in groups?” I ask no one as I stand on top of a hill, looking out to a group of large, grey metal robots.

They’re pretty similar to the ones we had to fight in the UA entrance exam, but way more dangerous. They were designed and mass produced by the League of Villains after they joined up with some fancy organization. However, they lost control of them and the robots started doing whatever they wanted. This led to a horrible amount of destruction and an overwhelming number of casualties.

We call these robots ‘VilMechs’, a combination of ‘villain’ and ‘meccha’. Simple and gets the point across. We thought these robots were just here in Japan, and we were fully prepared to call in help from foreign heroes. However, somehow that fancy organization managed to mass produce so many of these hunks of metal that the whole world is now in utter chaos. Humankind is struggling, and the population rate is terrifyingly low.

So, the age of heroes has become the age of ‘Destroyers’, that’s what we call those who are able to fight the VilMechs. They aren’t just any ordinary robots; they were created by someone’s horrid quirk and are way tougher than they look. In fact, the only way to beat them is to fight them with a ‘Quirk Weapon’. These are specialized weapons that feed off the energy of its user’s quirk. They were created by Mei Hatsume, who is unfortunately missing at this time. She made ten of them in total; when they aren’t being used to fight, they reduce in size and look like normal accessories. It took a ton of training for us to learn how to use them and change our fighting styles, but we eventually got the hang of it. We each decided on a partner to fight with and are now working on trying to get rid of these robots and create a safe haven for survivors.

The Destroyers have six rules:

1\. Never travel alone. Always bring your partner.  
2\. Do not attempt to fight VilMechs on your own unless necessary.  
3\. If you find an electrical plant, either try to restore it or mark it on the map and report it to someone else.  
4\. If bandits can not be reasoned with, kill them.  
5\. Always secure an escape route before entering abandoned buildings to search for supplies.  
6\. If you can’t win the fight, run.

Unfortunately, my partner seems to have already forgotten about rule one; since he took off on his own while I was scavenging through an old pharmacy. All I found were a few bottles of that gross pink liquid you drink for upset stomachs. I confirmed with the map that we’ve never searched that store before, which means there must be bandits nearby. Considering our current mission, that’s quite worrying.

“Well, ain’t got time to worry about that right now,” I say and reach my hand up to my hair. I untangle the yellow and black hairclip from my blonde locks, hold it out in front of me, and spin it around in my hand. My electricity crackles down my arm and when it hits the hair clip, it grows and becomes a double-ended scythe almost as tall as me. This is my Quirk Weapon.

The crescent moon shaped blades are bright yellow and black with a silver handle between them. My electricity dances around it and feeds its strength. I narrow my eyes at the group of VilMechs at the bottom of the hill. If my partner wants to break rule one, I’ll break rule two.

I race down the hill, charging at my enemies. When they see me, their lights glow red and they immediately begin to attack. I throw my weapon and let it slice through a couple of robots, then it spins its way back to me like a boomerang and I catch it easily. One of them tries to pound their giant metal fist into me, but I dodge out of the way and strike them down with one end of the scythe.

“Come on, that all you got?!” I shout with a crazed grin on my face.

I shoot a bolt of electricity at another VilMech and cut through it while it’s paralyzed. It’s not that we _can’t _fight these robots alone, it’s just not recommended. And that becomes more apparent when one of them knocks me down into the ground, causing the earth to crack underneath me. I groan and quickly use my scythe to cut off the arm that’s pinning me down, but that ended up being a bad idea since the metal is so heavy that I can’t move.__

____

___Shit. Dude, where the hell are you?_ __

__

__

____

The two remaining Vilmechs crowd around me. My heart is racing anxiously in my chest as the fear begins to set in. _Fuck. Fuck. I fucked up so bad _. My body is getting increasingly colder, like I’ve just been buried in seven feet of snow. My brain is in a haze, trying to think of what to do, but coming up with nothing.__

____

____

This is it. I’m going to die. This was supposed to just be a simple mission. All we had to do was search the pharmacy for supplies and restore a nearby electrical plant that Mina had found and reported. But my petty ass got upset about my partner going off on his own, and I decided to fight a group of these fucking robots on my own. Great job, you idiot. You’ve really fucked up—

“DENKI!” My thoughts are cut off by the call of my name and the sight of two arrows piercing through the remaining Vilmechs. Two more arrows strike them, and they collapse to the ground, unmoving.

I let out a slow, steady breath as a face comes into view. But it’s not just any face. It’s moonlight pale skin, deep violet orbs with intense white pupils and heavy dark circles underneath, and wild purple hair like a field of lilacs.

“Hitoshi, oh man, am I so happy to see you,” I say with a relieved smile.

“Did you forget rule two?” he’s glaring at me, but I can still see the hint of worry in his expression. “You aren’t supposed to be fighting these things alone. You could have died.”

I avert my gaze from him and stick out my bottom lip slightly. “Well, you apparently forgot rule one and left me all alone.”

“Are you seriously pouting?” He asks, but it’s not really a question, he knows I am. He holds his Quirk Weapon in his hand, a black bow with a purple glow spiraling around it. It minimizes in his hand and he pins it to his shirt like a brooch. Though his quirk isn’t physical, his weapon is still able to convert its energy into strength. Any arrow he shoots with his bow is immensely powerful and can even take down big evil robots.

He and I work together to get the metal arm off me. He grabs my hand and pulls me to my feet. I spin my double-ended scythe until it minimizes and becomes a hairclip again. I push back the smaller part of my bangs and slide the clip back in its place.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Hitoshi asks, scanning over me for injuries.

I give him a warm and reassuring smile. “I’m alright. Thank you for saving my dumb ass.”

He huffs a short laugh and flicks my forehead. “You’re a real damsel in distress, aren’t you?” He places a hand to his hip and points his gaze to the sky. “We’ve got to get moving if we want to make it back before it gets too dark. Do you have enough electricity in you for Rai?”

‘Rai’ is the name of my electric motorcycle. Mei built it for me right before she disappeared. Much like my weapon, it feeds off the electricity my quirk produces, but it won’t move at all if I don’t have any electricity in me. “I have enough to get to the plant, but I’m going to have to recharge before we head back to base.”

“Let’s hope we can restore it without too much trouble then,” he replies and begins walking up the hill; I follow him. “I’ll do some hunting while you’re charging, we’re getting low on meat.”

We approach Rai, in all her shiny black and glowing neon yellow glory, and I hop onto the front of it. Hitshoi gets on behind me and hangs onto my shoulders. Electricity sparks in my hands and the motorcycle begins to roar with power. Then, we drive off down the street.

“Hey, so what were you doing anyway?” I ask, raising my voice over the sound of the motorcycle and the wind.

The insomniac behind me is quiet for a minute, but answers in an even voice. “I was looking for something.”


	2. Bow and Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'I step outside and get my bow and arrow ready again. The air is warm but not too warm and there’s a slight breeze, it’s good weather for hunting what I’ve been searching for. I just hope there’s at least one nearby.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello hello! I'm so glad you guys seem to be enjoying this already!

(Shinsou’s POV)

When we arrive at the electrical plant, we grimace at the sight of it. Vines and leaves outgrown everywhere. Railings, staircases, and doors all rusted to shit. This place is old, much older than other electrical plants we restored. Denki tries to open the door to the inside, where the control panels are, but it’s completely stuck in the frame.

He sighs. “So, now what?”

I walk around the building, scanning the area. There’s not much around besides a whole lot of forest and the huge running river that’s supposed to be powering the electrical plant. Which it would be if it hadn’t been shut down when all this chaos started. Upon further inspection, I notice part of the wall is broken and creating a small hole leading inside. It’s a bit high up but reachable.

“Hey,” I call out to the blonde, “Come give me a boost. I’ll check the inside for bandits and then get you inside.”

Denki makes his way over to where I am at the side of the building and leans his back into the wall. He locks his fingers with palms up and braces himself. I set my foot into his hands and climb the wall as he hoists me up. I grip onto the crumbled edge of the gap and pull myself inside, finding the surface of a huge bookcase right under the hole. Luckily, the bookcase is solid and sturdy enough to support my weight as I squat on top of it. I scan over the room carefully, not seeing anyone around, but then I notice a door leading into another room.

I look down at Denki through the hole. He’s standing on the ground and staring up at me. I hold a finger to my lips, and he nods in response, knowing that means I’m going to scout for survivors or bandits before helping him inside.

I carefully jump down onto the floor, keeping my squatting position, and take the pin off my shirt. I flip it around between my fingers and focus the energy of my quirk into it, until it grows and becomes a large bow. I reach behind me and take one of my arrows from my quill and get it ready to shoot if needed. I move slowly across the room to the door on the opposite wall. Turning around, I lean my back onto its wood surface and slide up to look through the little window panel. No one. All that comes into sight are a bunch of iron shelves. Is it a storage room?

Slowly and carefully, I turn the door handle and move into the room. It’s small, almost like a walk-in closet and has iron bar shelves along all four walls, except for a small gap in the opposite corner where there’s another door. Sunlight shining through the window panel on it tells me it leads outside, but it’s probably to the other side of the plant, where my partner is not. The shelves are mostly empty except for some discarded boxes and a duffle bag on the bottom of one of them. I decide to leave it for now, knowing the electric blonde is waiting for me.

Minimizing my weapon and pinning it back on my shirt, I go back into the other room and climb the bookcase until I’m on the top of it again. Denki beams a smile up at me. I lean over the edge and reach my arm out as far as I can without falling. The blonde steps back, getting a running start, and then jumps onto the wall and grabbing my hand. I help him inside and we both jump off the bookcase.

“No bandits, huh? Strange,” Denki says, wiping the dirt from the building wall off his hands.

“Why is it strange?” I ask, looking over the room at all the levers and buttons.

“That pharmacy I was scavenging was almost completely empty,” he continues, “which usually is a sign of bandits being nearby. I figured maybe they would’ve hidden out here since it’s out of the way of the VilMechs and has the river.”

He makes a good point. The river is very large and surely has some fish swimming in it, so it would be a smart idea for bandits to hide out near it to gather food and water. Of course the water has to be filtered before it’s drinkable, but that’s easy enough if you have the right stuff.

“Well, if there were bandits here, they must have taken off,” I reply.

“This isn’t the first time we’ve run into a nearly empty store this week. At this rate, we may have to take these guys out without attempting to reason with them,” he says and starts flipping a few switches.

“We’ll see what Izuku and Katsuki have to say about it.”

After forming The Destroyers, we all decided to start calling each other by our first names, except for Katsuki and Izuku still only referring to each other as ‘Deku’ and ‘Kacchan’. We aren’t sure why we collectively agreed on this, but I like to think it has something to do with the sorrowful lingering of being some of the only people alive on earth. As if speaking to each other with our last names would break us.

The whirring of the panels sounds through the room and I realize Denki had already restored the plant while I was lost in my thoughts. He beams at me with a big and bright smile. I shouldn’t be surprised, he has restored most of the plants that we have up and running, so he’s gotten quite good at it. He heads over to an outlet on the wall and pulls a charging cable out of his pocket, plugging it in and sticking the other end of it in his mouth.

“I’m gonna be chargin’ for a while,” he says, turning his head to me. “But, don’t go too far, yeah?”

“I won’t,” I reply. “I’m just going to hunt in the woods outside. But first, I need to check something.”

I head back into the small, storage-like room and squat down in front of one the iron shelves. The duffle bag sitting at the bottom is heavy, way more so than I expected, as I drag it out onto the floor. I unzip it and look inside to see several large guns, a couple of smaller guns and full spare clips of bullets. What the hell is something like this doing at an electrical plant? My heart sinks in my stomach and my insides go a bit cold. I don’t like this feeling.

I grab the bag and haul it out to where Denki is. He stares wide eyed as I drop the bag onto the ground, seeing its contents. “We have to report this,” I say, and he nods in agreement. “Keep an eye on this while I hunt. I’ll be back soon.”

With that, I go back into the storage room again and try to open the door leading outside. The knob doesn’t turn all the way and it’s stuck in the frame like the other door leading inside the panel room. It seems to have some wiggle room though, so I step back a bit and take a deep breath. I raise my leg up and put all my strength into kicking the door open. I kick a bit too hard though and it breaks off the hinges and falls to the ground.

“You okay?!” I hear Denki shout.

“Yeah, just getting the back door open!”

I step outside and get my bow and arrow ready again. The air is warm but not too warm and there’s a slight breeze, it’s good weather for hunting what I’ve been searching for. I just hope there’s at least _one_ nearby.

After a while of walking through the woods, my travel bag is full of wrapped up meat from rabbits, deer, birds, and fish. I also took a large empty thermos and filled it with water from the river to be filtered later. A good amount of sweat is building up on my forehead and neck, but I decide to keep moving a little further out.

And I’m so glad I did.

There, just past a thicket of trees, is a small farm home. Hope rises and spreads through my chest as I quickly get closer. Besides the wide fenced-in space for the barn house, the place is completely surrounded in forest. It feels so in the middle of nowhere, I can’t imagine what kind of people lived here.

Scanning the area, my eye catches on a coat of white and black. Excitement blooms and I can’t help the triumphant grin on my face as I marvel at the animal before me. We have one cow back at the base, but it’s only there to produce milk. This cow though, is a first come, first serve deal.

I move slightly closer and ready an arrow. “Sorry buddy,” I say to the cow standing at least thirty feet away from me. Memories of an electric blonde boy happily eating at the fast food place closest to the UA campus flood me. “I have a friend who hasn’t had a burger in a long time.”

Denki is leaning against his motorcycle, Rai when I return to the plant. He tilts his head at me, a curious gleam in his golden eyes. “You look happy. Good hunting?”

“Very good,” I say, trying to contain the smile that wants to spread on my face. “All charged up?”

“Yep, we’re good to go,” he swings his leg over the motorcycle and sits down. I take my spot behind him and grip onto his shoulders. Electricity crackles in his hands. The engine purrs. And we’re off.

We arrive back to base before the sky gets too dark. Ochaco and Tenya are on watch duty outside and they greet us with smiles. I stop next to them, hoisting my heavy bag a little higher up on my shoulder.

“Where are Izuku and Katsuki?” I ask.

“They should both be in the dorm building,” Ochaco answers.

“Likely updating the maps in the common room,” Tenya adds.

I nod and lean a bit closer to Ochaco, lowering my voice into a whisper. “Did Tsu make any buns or rolls I can use tonight?”

She grins with a bright sparkle in her eye, because she knows exactly why I’m asking. “Yes, she did.”

I give her a quick nod of thanks and head over to the dorm building with Denki. The UA campus has been turned to mostly rubble since this whole shit show started, but enough of it is intact to be used as an adequate base. Most of the dorm buildings were destroyed but there’s one still in good condition that we use to sleep and hold meetings in. Izuku wanted us all to share a room with our partners so no one would have to be alone. The rooms were too small to fit two beds though, of course, so we knocked down and rebuilt the walls separating two rooms. Now, instead of each floor having four rooms, they have two big ones.

Upon entering the building, the two of us are greeted by the rest of our group, all sitting in the common area with maps laid out: Izuku, Shoto, Katsuki, Eijirou, Hanta, Mina, Tsuyu, and Momo. I set down my bag of meat next to Tsuyu and then drop the duffle bag of guns in front of Izuku and Katsuki. I unzip and open it up to show them the contents, they both go wide eyed.

“Where the fuck did you find this?” the ash blonde asks, harsh growl in his tone as usual.

“At the electrical plant we just restored,” Denki answers for me. “Hitoshi found it in, what I think was a storage room.”

“Also, the pharmacy was practically empty,” I say.

“Yeah, all I found was some bottles of that pink goo you drink when nauseous.”

Izuku taps a worrying finger to his lips. “I’ve got a bad feeling…”

Hanta scratches the back of his head. “Not much we can do about it right now, though.”

“We’ll have to investigate,” Shoto chimes in. “At the very least, let’s be thankful this bag ended up in our care and not in the hands of some bandits.”

Eijirou nods in agreement and zips the duffle bag back up. “Yeah, you two did good finding this. I’ll be sure to lock it up in one of the training rooms.”

“If this is the work of some bandits,” I continue, “I don’t think it’s likely we’ll be able to reason with them. Izuku, Katsuki, what’s your call?”

The air is filled with a heavy silence as green eyes met crimson. Their silent form of communication at work. Over the years of being in this hellhole of a world and forming the Destroyers, the two childhood friends forced themselves to put their past behind them. Maybe because they felt it silly to hold ancient old grudges against each other during an age of calamity. Maybe it’s because of the crushing anguish of knowing that either of them could die at any moment. Or maybe it’s the lament of knowing they are two of the very small number of survivors of our beloved school.

“We’ll look into this and see if we can figure out who’s doing this,” Katsuki speaks up, eyes glaring up in me, but not in anger; in determination. “If anyone in this room finds them and has confidence that they are the culprits, you have full permission to terminate.”

We all respond in unison, “Understood.”

Denki lays out our map with the others so Mina can finish updating them all, making sure we know which stores and electrical plants have been visited by us. Then, he turns to me and stretches his arms over his head. “I don’t know about you, but I could use a good soak in the bath.”

I softly curl one corner of my lips into a small smile. “You go ahead, I have a small task to finish. I’ll see you in our room for dinner.”

He gives me a gentle punch to the shoulder. “Alright, but don’t overwork yourself.”

With that, he leaves, and I turn to Tsuyu, who is grinning at me knowingly. “you found a cow?”

I lift the bag of meat again and finally let loose the smile I’ve been holding back. “I found a cow.”

She beams at me. “I’m so happy for you, ribbit.”

“I caught tons of other meat too,” I say as I begin to walk over to the kitchen. “I’ll put it all in the fridge, so it’s free game.”

Eijirou follows me to the kitchen and leans on the counter. “It’s real nice of you to do this for Denki, man. I know he’s going to love it.”

I nod in agreement and get to work on making the burger. I’ve gone out to eat plenty of times with the blonde to know exactly how he likes his burgers cooked and what he likes on them. The image of his happy face as he munches down on the juicy beef burned perfectly into my mind. The desire and yearning waiting to see that face again rushing through me like adrenaline.

I walk up to the room, two plates with burgers and half cob of corn on them, one in each hand. I’m overjoyed with how good the burgers look and eager to see the blonde’s expression. The door is already slightly open, so I lean my back against it and poke my head inside. Denki is sitting at his desk, patting his hair dry with a towel.

“Hungry?” I ask, though I already know the answer. We’ve had a long day and he hasn’t eaten since breakfast this morning. I realize that I haven’t either when my stomach growls faintly.

“Starving,” he answers, throwing his towel in the hamper nearby.

“Good, because I have a surprise for you,” I keep trying to restrain my lips from giving away my excitement, to the point where they begin to quiver a little.

“Ooooh? A surprise from Hitoshi? I don’t get those often,” he replies with glee clear on his face.

I push the door open fully with my back and reveal the food to him. I’d pay a million dollars to see his reaction over and over again. Honey gold eyes as wide as the plates I’m holding. Big, goofy, thrilled grin spread from ear to ear with bright white teeth showing. I can feel the pure happiness he’s radiating. And my heart is ready to burst out of my chest seeing it.

“Dude! You found beef?!” The blonde jumps out of his chair. “Why didn’t you tell me?!”

“I wanted it to be a surprise,” I reply and set the plates down on our little table in the center of the room.

Denki walks over to the table and now he’s giving me a whole new smile. One that’s warmer and softer. His usual smile feels like the bright and shining sun, but this one feels like a burning evening sky.

“Is that what you were searching for when you disappeared earlier?” he asks.

I rub my neck and sheepishly look away, feeling both a little embarrassed and apologetic. “Yeah… I’ve actually been looking for a cow for a couple weeks now. I wanted to have it for your recent birthday, but—”

My explanation is cut off by a pair of slender, toned arms throwing themselves around my shoulders. The electric blonde hugs me tight, burying his face in the crook of my neck. I try to ignore the way I can feel his breath on my skin and how it sets me on fire from the spot where his lips hover to my cheeks. I try to ignore the way my heart is racing inside my chest as I can feel Denki’s own beating heart. I try to ignore the way my hands are twitching to tangle themselves in his hair. And I try to ignore the way my lips long to feel his.

“You are seriously the best person in my life, Hitoshi,” the blonde says, voice more quiet and gentle than usual. “Thank you so much.”

My arms wrap around his torso and hug him back just as tight. “Your welcome, Denki.”

After we pull away from our hug, we sit down at the table and I watch with both admiration and nervousness as he sinks his teeth into the burger. My heart skips a beat as his face lights up even more. A little bit of ketchup stains his cheek and I adore it.

“Oh man, this is so good! I’m in heaven!”

I can’t help but chuckle a bit. “I’m glad.”

I would hunt down a hundred cows to see this face again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The burger idea was stuck in my head for like a week and it was all I could think about. I'm so soft~


	3. The Last of Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'I turn my attention over to Mina. The look on her face is a little hard to read; some hint of contemplation, but also a hint of certainty. Like she has already made up her mind but isn’t sure if she should say right away. I reach my hand out to her and give her shoulder a light squeeze.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY THE CHAPTER TOOK SO LONG

(Sero’s POV)

“I’ve called you two here to discuss three very important topics,” Izuku says as he looks between Mina and I. Shoto standing right behind him as usual. Katsuki sitting at the meeting table with Izuku and Eijirou standing at his side. Almost feels like a mafia movie or something.

“Three? Oh boy,” Mina groans and rests her head in her palm.

The freckled male smiles and chuckles a little. “I’ll try to make it as painless as possible. First, I’d like to discuss your next mission,” he begins and lays out one of the maps, circling his fingertip over one of the areas that’s been marked with a green star. “This here is one of our survivor zones. It’s being run by Toru and Mashirao. Since they don’t have Quirk Weapons, they aren’t able to fight the VilMechs and there’s a group of them in one of the towns they want to scavenge. They’re running low on supplies, so they need to be defeated as soon as possible.”

“So, take out the VilMechs and search the area for stuff,” I say, nodding my head.

“Yes,” Izuku replies. “And of course, keep an eye out for survivors. We also have a delivery of baked goods I would like you to give to Toru.”

“Got it!” Mina says excitedly. “What else?”

“Second, I would like you two to be in charge of the mission to find Mei,” the green haired male continues. “Denki and Hitoshi have been doing good work restoring the electrical plants. Momo has her own mission she’s been working on. The four of us have our hands full making sure things run smoothly here. And of course, Ochaco and Tenya don’t have Quirk Weapons so they’re best staying here as our watchmen. The two of you have excellent fighting skill and mobility, so I believe you are the best pair to take charge of this mission.”

“Are you sure it’s alright to give this mission to us?” Mina asks. “I mean, we’ll definitely do everything we can to succeed, but finding Mei is pretty important, right? Wouldn’t it be better if you and Shoto or Katsuki and Eijirou do it?”

“I’d love to do the mission myself,” Izuku answers, “but there’s too much to take care of here on top of our regular missions. Plus, like I said, your mobility is a huge advantage thanks to Hanta’s tape quirk. I have full confidence you two can handle this.”

I grin and give an affirmative nod. “You can count on us!”

He smiles back. “Great. Now the last thing we need to talk about… Well, it might feel a little awkward…”

The pink girl tilts her head to the side curiously. “What is it?”

Izuku’s eyes dart down to the table and he nervously ruffles the back of his hair with his hand. “Um… Well… You see…” his tone is shaky and nervous as he struggles to get the words out.

Katsuki sighs with an annoyed expression. “We need to start thinking about repopulating.”

I blink at him slowly. “Re… Repopulating?”

“Yeah, dumbass,” he snaps. “You two are partners. You know each other. You both have strong and useful quirks.”

I take that compliment he gave us and tuck it into my mind. Then, the realization of what he’s trying to say hits me. And I practically choke on my next words. “Y-you… you want us to…”

“We understand it’s a lot to ask,” Izuku chimes in quickly. “And we won’t ask you to do anything until after we’ve found Mei. But, yes… we would appreciate it if you could consider possibly birthing a child. We won’t force you, of course. But we’re finding less and less survivors, so it’s time to start planning for it.”

I turn my attention over to Mina. The look on her face is a little hard to read; some hint of contemplation, but also a hint of certainty. Like she has already made up her mind but isn’t sure if she should say right away. I reach my hand out to her and give her shoulder a light squeeze.

I smile at her reassuringly as she looks at me. “It’s your body. So, I’ll leave the choice to you.”

She nods slightly. “I’ll think about it.”

“Thank you,” Izuku says and and folds up the map before handing it to me. “Then, I’ll leave you two to your mission. You can get the baked goods delivery from Tsuyu in the Lunch Rush kitchen. Shoto and I are going to be on our mission in the next town opposite of where you’re going, but Kacchan and Eijirou will be here at base if you need to call for backup.”

“Have the others already gone out?” I ask.

“Denki and Hitoshi are out trying to track down those bandits causing trouble and Momo is traveling to one of our other survivor zones to gather information for her own mission,” he responds.

Mina looks down at the table’s surface, eyes full of concern. “Is it really okay to let her keep going out by herself?”

“It worries me as well,” Izuku says. “I don’t like allowing her to break our rules, but her situation makes things difficult… I can only trust that she’ll make the right decisions and keep herself safe.”

“Come on, I think we’re worrying too much,” I say, trying to lighten the mood. “This is Momo we’re talking about. I’m sure she knows what she’s doing.”

“She’s strong and has good instincts,” Shoto adds. “I’m confident in her as well.”

Izuku nods at his dual haired partner with a smile.

I toss one of my two giant kunai blades at the VilMech charging at me, striking it down right in its core, then I tug on my tape to pull the kunai’s handle back into my hand. Mina snaps her whip and wraps it around the middle of another VilMech. She pulls it and breaks the giant robot in half.

We scan over the area, destroyed VilMechs scattered all over, looking for any still moving. I breathe out a heavy sigh of relief when I’m sure we’re in the clear. I detach my twin kunai blades from my tape and spin them until they minimize and then I tuck them into my ponytail, which I’ve been sporting since my hair grew past my shoulders. Mina coils her whip until it turns into its armlet state and then slips it onto her upper arm.

“Geez, sure was a big group this time,” Mina says and wipes some sweat from her forehead.

“Yeah,” I reply, “but hopefully that means bandits have been steering clear of this area. Why don’t you check that corner store there and I’ll search the pharmacy?”

“Sure thing!” she says with a smile and then skips over to the little convenience store.

When I walk into the pharmacy and get a good look around, I grin excitedly to myself at how much stuff is still inside. This place has definitely been left untouched by bandits. Thank God. I slide my backpack off my shoulders and place it on the floor, opening it up.

I grab everything I can see; bandages, medicine, painkillers, even condoms; stuffing them all inside my bag until I can’t fit anything else. As I close the zipper, I hear a noise coming from behind one of the shelves, like a faint sniffle. I lift up my right elbow and get ready to shoot my tape, but when I peer around the corner, I’m met with a small boy.

His chin length light brown hair is messy and horribly tangled. Dirt is smeared all over his face, arms, and legs. He has bandages wrapped around his knees and hands. His pale blue eyes are wet with tears and looking up at me with some fear, and some hope. He’s skinny; too skinny.

I lower my arm and kneel slowly to him, trying to show that I’m not going to attack him. “Hey there,” I keep my voice low and gentle. “What’s your name?”

He darts his eyes around and twiddles his thumbs nervously. Clearly unsure if he should trust me. And I don’t blame him. So, I give him a huge and friendly smile, hoping that will ease his nerves. He gazes up at me and perks his chin up a little. “I’m… Ryuji,” he says, his voice a little hoarse and quiet.

“Ryuji, huh? That’s a cool name,” I reply and shift myself a little closer to him. “I’m Hanta, it’s nice to meet you. Are you here alone? Do you have any parents?”

The boy looks down at the floor and frowns. “No… Big sister said they died shortly after I was born.”

My smile falls and a twinge of pain squeezes my heart. “I see… Where’s your sister?”

He fiddles with his thumbs more and presses his lips together in a thin line before speaking up. “She went to get food… three days ago…”

I bite the inside of my cheek hard, desperately trying to keep myself from tearing up. This is far from the first time I’ve had to handle a situation like this, but it honestly never gets any easier. It still hurts me inside every time.

Tears stream down his dirty cheeks. “I… I don’t think big sis is coming back…” he chokes out. And the strained tone nearly broke me.

I open my arms. “You want to come with me? I’ll take you somewhere safe, okay?”

He sniffs and wipes his eyes. Then he gives me a small nod and moves closer to me. I tuck an arm under his thighs and pick him up, using my free hand to support me as I stand back up. I shift him a bit to make sure he’s comfortable, securing him into the crook of my elbow. I grab my bag and sling it onto one shoulder, then leave the pharmacy.

“Do you know how old you are?” I ask.

“Um…” Ryuji trails off, thinking. “I think I’m… six?”

_Six, huh? So, he was born about two years after all this went down. Kid has had it rough. I have to get him to Toru and Mashirao._

Mina is standing outside waiting for me, her own backpack full of stuff. She looks at me, then to the boy as I approach her. She gives him a warm smile. “Hey there, little guy.”

“This is Ryuji,” I tell her, then I turn my attention to the boy in my arms. “This nice lady here is my partner. Her name’s Mina.”

The pink girl beams brightly. “Nice to meet you!”

Ryuji tilts his head to one side. “Partner?... Like your wife?”

Mina and I both choke. We stand there stuttering for a bit, unsure of what to say. I suppose it would be too complicated to explain to a child that we’re fighting partners.

Yeah, fighting partners. Who share a room, eat every meal together, and have seen each other half naked.

“Um…” I awkwardly scratch my cheek. “I guess… something like that?”

Mina’s face turns even pinker than it already is, and she stares down at the ground.

“A-anyway,” I quickly change the subject. “Let’s get you somewhere safe.”

When we arrive at the survivor zone, Toru offers to take Ryuji to get a bath and some food. He’s a little reluctant to leave my side, but I assure him that Toru is a good person and will take care of him. He eventually agrees to go with her. Mina and I deliver the baked goods from base and some of the supplies that we found.

“Thank you for taking care of the VilMechs,” Mashirao says as he writes all the new supplies into the inventory list. “Now we can search that town for more stuff without getting attacked.”

“It’s what we do!” Mina exclaims with a huge grin.

“Still be careful though,” I chime in. “More could show up later on. Contact Izuku or Katsuki if that happens.”

Mashirao nods. “Of course.”

After a little while, Toru comes back with a freshly bathed Ryuji, munching on a sandwich. His pale blue orbs glimmering with joy as he stuffs his face. Now that his face is clean, I can see tiny faint freckles clustered on the bridge of his nose. His hair is still damp, but it’s been combed nicely and it’s a much lighter shade of brown than it was before; like a fawn.

I kneel to him again and pat his head. “Look at you. I bet you feel a whole lot better, huh?”

He nods, gazing up at me with big eyes; almost like an excited kitten. It’s cute.

Mina kneels next to me. “You look much more handsome now that you’re all clean,” she giggles.

I pick up Ryuji and walk him over to the nearby couch. I set him down on the cushions and sit next to him. “Listen, can you tell me what your sister looks like?”

He looks down at his sandwich, deep in thought as he tries to recall her features. “Um… she’s got long brown hair and blue eyes like me… and she has a big scar on her arm from those robot monsters.”

“How old is she?”

“I think… fourteen?”

_Christ, that’s young. And he said his parents died shortly after he was born. So, that girl was only eight years old and taking care of her brother all by herself with fucking giant robots and bandits running rampant. I’m amazed this kid’s still alive. That girl must have really fought tooth and nail to keep the both of them breathing._

I gaze up at Mina. She looks at me with a knowing look in her eyes. She smiles softly and nods. I bring my attention to Mashirao.

“Call Katuski at base.” I tell him.

He nods and pulls out a high-tech speaker phone. Another invention from Mei before she disappeared to help make living in this apocalypse a little easier. I get up from the couch and walk over to Mashirao as he presses a few buttons.

I lean into the microphone when he gives me the go ahead. “Safety zone to base, this is Hanta.”

Katsuki’s gruff voice sounds through the speaker. “Base to safety zone, this is Katsuki. What’s the trouble?”

“We found a survivor in the town, a young boy,” I continue. “His sister is missing. Mina and I are requesting permission to extend our stay so we can search for her.”

It’s silent for a bit, meaning he’s likely thinking it over. “Permission granted, but no more than two days.”

I let out a silent sigh of relief. “Thank you. Disconnecting now.”

I turn back to the small boy and see him staring at Mina and I with even bigger eyes. “You’re going to find my sister?”

My partner and I give him the biggest and brightest smiles we can manage and reply in perfect unison, “You bet!”

He returns our beaming grins with one of his own. “Thank you! Hanta! Mina!”

And my heart drums happily in my chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WRITING THIS MADE ME CRY


	4. The Two of Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'Feeling his body release all its tension, sensing him finally allowing himself to relax, I almost let my emotions get the better of me. The lingering feeling of yearning for his lips on mine as I swallow my confession. Bitter-sweet.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU READ THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER BEFORE THIS ONE. I DELETED THE UPDATE POST FROM BEFORE AND REPLACED IT WITH THE THIRD CHAPTER.
> 
> ALSO WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SEXUAL CONTENT

**(PLEASE READ ABOVE NOTES BEFORE PROCEEDING)**

(Ashido’s POV)

We’ve been searching for almost twenty-six hours. Hanta’s exhausted, I can see it in his eyes, but he refuses to rest. We looked all over the town where we found Ryuji, practically turning it upside down. We also took supplies and food we found and piled them all into the corner store so Mashirao’s search team could get them later. Might as well make their job a little easier for them since we were there anyway.

We didn’t find Ryuji’s sister though. And at this point, we’re both running on fumes. But a young teen girl’s life could be in peril right now. We have to find her and bring her back to the survivor zone.

_If she’s even still alive._

I shake my head, pushing the thought away. I can’t think like that. I have to believe we’ll find her safe and sound. It may seem unrealistic; especially in this dreadful purgatory we’re living in. But having positive thoughts is the only thing that keeps me sane.

Positive thoughts and…

My eyes drift up to Hanta, gazing at the back of his head as he walks in front of me. His black hair has gotten so long that he wears it in a messy ponytail reaching to just above the middle of his back. It looks good on him; too good. And his Quirk Weapons, in their accessory size, sticking out of the ponytail like chopsticks adds a certain allure to him.

He’s gotten taller too; he’s probably over six feet now. His shoulders are broader, his arms and legs have even more muscle, and I can feel how much firmer his chest is whenever I hold onto him while he swings on his tape. Years of fighting VilMechs and bandits definitely showing in every part of his body.

I’m not sure when I started seeing Hanta differently. Maybe it was when I saw him in nothing but his underwear for the first time. Sharing a room together left for little privacy, so we had to learn to get comfortable with seeing each other’s bare skin often. Maybe it was us having to always spend so much time together since we’re partners. Over all the missions and scavenging we’ve had to do together; I’ve talked with him and learned so much about him and what his life outside of UA before all this was like. Maybe it’s his laid back but also goofy and friendly nature. How he never fails to make me laugh even during the toughest times. Maybe it’s his unwavering kindness. Saving a small boy who is miraculously still alive and promising said boy that he’ll find his sister.

Maybe it’s feelings that have always been there. Even before all this.

Positive thoughts… and Hanta.  
That’s what keeps me sane.

“Hanta,” I call out to him and he turns his head to peer over his shoulder. “We should stop and rest. You’re clearly tired.”

He looks forward again, making me unable to see his expression. “We have to find her.”

“I know and we will,” I pick up my pace a little and stand in front of him, blocking his way. “But you won’t be any good to her dead on your feet. Please, just rest, even for a little bit.”

He stares down at the ground, dark circles almost as heavy as Hitoshi’s under his eyes. He presses his lips into a thin line, thinking. I move a little closer to him and place my hands on his wide elbows, smiling at him warmly.

After a bit of silence, he nods. “Yeah, okay. Just for a bit.”

Now that we’re outside of the town we were previous searching, there’s tons of grassy hills around. So, I take Hanta’s hand and lead him to one of them and we sit down in the soft, plush greenery. I gaze up at the sky, a beautiful mixture of orange, pink, purple and blue. It’s perfect for resting under.

I bring my attention back to Hanta and pat a spot on my lap. “Lay down, I can keep watch.”

He opens his mouth to protest, but then quickly shuts it when I shoot him a glare. He awkwardly scratches his cheek, light pink blush dusting across the bridge of his nose. Then he slowly lays down on his side and sets his head in my lap. I gently brush my fingers through his dark hair and gaze up at the sky again. Taking in and enjoying this peaceful moment.

Feeling his body release all its tension, sensing him finally allowing himself to relax, I almost let my emotions get the better of me. The lingering feeling of yearning for his lips on mine as I swallow my confession. Bitter-sweet.

It’s morning again when we reach the next town over. We only have today left to find Ryuji’s sister. Since the town we found him in was filled with so many VilMechs, we figured maybe his sister tried to travel to the next town to find food so she could avoid getting caught by them. Hanta and I checked our map; according to the markings, we can confirm that this town has been reported as not having much VilMech activity, but there have been sightings of bandits. Hanta and I took down a couple of loner robots on our way here but haven’t spotted any bandits or survivors yet. Just tons of deer and rabbits that likely were attracted to the quiet; we hunted them and packed up the meat to take back with us.

“You think these are the same bandits that Denki and Hitoshi are looking for?” I ask as we walk into a huge grocery store.

“No, I doubt it,” Hanta answers, scanning his eyes over the place. “That area was also infested with VilMechs but stuff from there still got taken. But the town we were just in was left untouched. Wouldn’t make sense to just skip scavenging an area you have to pass through to get to here anyway.”

“True,” I reply. “These are probably different guys then. Think they can be reasoned with?”

Hanta leans over the register counters and checks under them. “Let’s focus on finding Ryuji’s sister and then we can talk to Izuku about it when we return to base. He and Shoto are better at convincing people to join our side.”

“Yeah, sounds good to me.”

I hear a faint groan coming from behind a door that reads **EMPLOYEES ONLY** on it. One hand ready to produce some acid for a fight, I slowly reach out and turn the knob. A loud creek echoes as the door opens. My attention is immediately caught by a figure laying on the floor.

I kneel down next to the figure to get a better look. A girl with light brown hair, horribly messy and tangled. Dirt all over her face, arms and legs. Her clothing is all tattered and barely covering her, like someone had tried to rip them off her. And bandages wrapped around the middle of her torso. Her eyes are open, but just a little. Pale blue orbs staring emotionlessly into nothing. But what really caught my eye, was the long, wide, dark scar that ran from her wrist to her elbow on her left arm.

“Hanta!” I yell out from over my shoulder. I hear the thuds of his footsteps hurrying over to me. He stops in the doorway and looks down at me and the girl.

He quickly kneels down on the other side of her and gently turns her onto her back. She’s completely limp and her eyes are devoid of life. The fear that we came too late is rising in me and battling with the hope that’s still in there because I know I heard her make a sound.

Hanta presses his fingers into her neck, checking for a pulse. He heaves out a heavy sigh of relief. “She’s alive, but she looks sick,” he says and lifts the upper half of her body off the floor. She makes a small noise, like an attempt to call out to him. “Hey, can you hear me? Is your name Emi?”

She makes another faint sound that sort of sounds like a confirmation. I take her hand and squeeze it. “Your brother Ryuji is safe, okay? We’re going to take you to him. So, just hang in there.”

Hanta picks her up completely, holding her close as he stands. And we hurry out of the grocery store.

Thanks to the quick mobility of Hanta’s tape, we were able to return to the survivor zone much quicker than before. Toru and Mashirao took Emi and got her all cleaned up and properly clothed. With all the dirt now washed off her, it’s much easier to see how sickly pale she is. So, we bring her to the survivor zone’s infirmary-like area and have the doctor there take a look at her.

“She’s got a bad fever from an infected wound on her stomach,” the doctor explains. “She wrapped the wound up, but it wasn’t properly cleaned or anything. Luckily, we’ve got everything we need to take care of it here and it didn’t spread too badly yet. I gave her some antibiotics and now she’s sleeping quite peacefully. So, I have confidence she’ll pull through just fine.”

I place a hand over my heart, steadying its pace with a sigh. “Thank goodness.”

Ryuji hugs Hanta’s leg tight, sobbing into the fabric of his black cargo pants. “Thank you, Hanta! Mina! Thank you for finding big sis!”

Hanta picks the boy up and beams a bright smile at him. “I told you we would find her!”

Mashirao turns to us. “You guys look exhausted. You should get some sleep, I’ll let Katsuki know you’ll be heading back to base in the morning.”

With my muscles finally able to release their tension, the fatigue of traveling and searching without any sleep, on top of having to fight a few VilMechs hits me hard. So much so that I feel ready to pass out right where I’m standing.

“Yeah, sleep actually sounds heavenly right now,” I say and Hanta nods in agreement.

Toru hands me a small silver key with a yellow tag that has the number twenty-three on it. “Here, use one of the empty rooms in the old hotel. Get some rest, you two deserve it.”

Hanta sets Ryuji back down, ruffles his hair and hands him off to the other two. Then he and I head straight to the hotel building and go to the room. We shred off everything; backpacks, weapons, travel supplies, and even most of our clothing. There’s only one bed in the room, but neither of us even take the time to think about it; exhaustion completely overwhelming our bodies. As soon as we both crash down onto the old mattress, we slip into the darkness of slumber.

The sky is a blanket of navy blue and glowing with stars by the time my eyes open again. The raven-haired male lying next to me is also awake and gazing up at the ceiling. An expression of being deep in thought on his face.

“Hey,” I softly call out to him and he looks at me. “You okay?”

His lips curve into a small smile. “Yeah, just… I’m glad we found her.”

I smile back. “Me too.”

We lay there in silence, comfortable silence. My eyes scan over the little scars on his bare chest and upper arms from when he was first learning to use his kunai blades. My fingers twitch with the urge to touch them. Emotions I swallowed earlier hurling back up my throat. The yearning on my lips for his back again and stronger than ever.

_‘We would appreciate it if you could consider possibly birthing a child.’_

_‘It’s your body. So, I’ll leave the choice to you.’_

Since we entered this age of calamity, I haven’t given much thought to having any children. But I suppose it was bound to come up sooner or later. Especially with the number of survivors we’re finding decreasing more and more.

At that moment though, I knew my answer. If it’s Hanta, I don’t mind birthing a child at all. The only thing is, I don’t want to sleep with him for the first time with just the purpose of repopulating. I’ve always dreamed of something more special, more romantic than that. I want to feel him and taste him knowing it’s due to the heated passion of our unspoken affection. Our intimate flame of feelings from long ago.

Maybe that’s why I’m pressing my lips to his right now.  
Maybe that’s why he’s kissing me back.

What remains of our clothes find their way to the floor with the rest of our stuff. Hanta trails tiny kisses down my neck and tenderly palms my breast with one hand. The other hand tracing its calloused fingers down the curves of my side. He kisses my lips again, deeper than before, and his tongue finds its way into my mouth and eagerly dances with mine; like he craves my flavor.

His fingers lightly feather over my thigh, making me shiver just a bit, and then press against my lower lips. One finger rubs at my clit, already wet and warm with desire. I gasp faintly and arch my back, the feeling of being touched there by someone else completely new to me.

Hanta’s mouth moves to my ear and he whispers to me in a low and accented voice I’ve never heard before, “You’re already this turned on? How long have you wanted me, mi amor?” And god, it set my skin on _fire._

“Too long,” I breathe out.

His fingers rub at my clit more and I can’t help but grind myself against them. He removes the hand that was squeezing my breasts and brushes some of my grown-out hair from my face. He smiles down at me and the fingers playing with my clit now enter inside me, curling to my inner walls.

I moan, gripping the sheets and biting my lip. “H… Hanta…”

He moves his fingers in and out of me, searching for my sweet spot. “You’re so beautiful, Mina. I’ve always wanted to tell you that. Everything about you is just gorgeous.”

My cheeks burn at his words. I cry out and arch my back again when he finally finds the good spot deep inside me and presses on it. Then, I feel his lips on my breasts, placing warm kisses on my skin.

“Your lovely skin,” kiss. “And these perfect tits,” kiss. “I could just marvel at your beauty forever, mi amor.”

He takes one of my nipples into his mouth and circles his tongue around it. His fingers press into that spot again and curl against my walls, making me moan again. His free hand grabs my other breast and squeezes it gently.

Heat pools deep in my stomach as Hanta sucks and bites on my nipple, his fingers still moving inside me. I keep calling out his name like it’s the only word I know. “Hanta… Hanta…”

“What is it, mi amor? Tell me what you want in that cute voice of yours.” He says, releasing my nipple from his mouth.

But I can hardly think straight, let alone speak a coherent sentence. Everything is so hot and intense and brand new to me. “You… I want you…”

His cheeks turn as pink as me and he gazes down at me with dark eyes full of a mixture of love and lust. “Dios mio…” he whispers and removes his fingers from inside me. He reaches down to the floor where his backpack is and quickly takes out a condom. He leans down and gives a soft kiss to my lips, keeping them brushed against each other as he speaks. “Are you sure? It’s me… and you… it’s us.”

My heart pounding loudly in my chest, I reach up and caress his cheek, feeling its warmth in my palm. “I’m sure _because_ it’s you.”

He kisses me again deeply, passionately. All our unspoken feelings pouring into our connected lips. I can feel his heart thumping against me. The heat of our bodies igniting our affection.

Hanta rolls the condom on his erect cock and lifts my legs, squeezing my thighs in his fingers. He enters me slowly at first, the tightness of my hole making him hiss. The sudden pressure makes me gasp and throw my head back.

He keeps pushing his cock into me until our skin meets with a gentle slap. The feeling of fullness is so new to me, but it’s also so blissful knowing Hanta is inside me. That we’re sharing this intimate moment with each other. Our hearts, our souls, and now our bodies melting together.

He begins to move inside me, keeping a gentle and tender pace; like he wants to cherish me as much as possible. “Mina…” his voice and breath are shaky.

I lock my legs around his waist and pull him down to wrap my arms around him. He holds me close and picks up speed, thrusting into me harder and deeper. I cry out in pleasure, rocking my hips with his.

“Hanta… oh god…”

He pounds and grinds into my sweet spot. I dig my nails into his back as involuntary sounds burst out of me. Our skin burning against each other. The creaks of the old bed echo through the room but neither one of us cares. We refuse to stop for anything. We’ve waited far too long for this.

“Oh, mi amor…” he purrs into my ear, sending hot tingles down my spine. He presses his lips firmly into mine again. “I love you, Mina”

Tears brim my eyes. My mind and body are lost to euphoria, but my heart jumps with joy at his words. “I love you, Hanta.”

We hold and grind against each other until dawn. The flame of our desires from long ago glowing brilliantly. No longer unspoken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aahhhhh I love them~


	5. Bladed Guitar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'Hitoshi brings his gaze to me and my eyes lock onto his. The both of us trying to decide just how much information we could pry out of these bandits. Which questions we should prioritize; what answers we want the most in case if we can’t get everything; and how far we’re willing to go to get those answers.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to rewrite this chapter like three times cause I was being so nitpicky with it.

(Kaminari’s POV)

“Rai phone to base; this is Denki,” I say into the speaker phone that is built into my motorcycle.

“Base to Rai; this is Katsuki. What’s the trouble?” the always harsh tone of the ash blonde asks.

“We’ve found two of the bandits that are causing trouble,” I say and look down at my hand. In my fingers, I hold a black velvet choker with a purple guitar charm on it. But it’s not just any guitar charm, it’s shaped like a battle axe and has a razor-sharp side. I recognized it instantly when we pried it from the bandit’s hands; “And one of them had Kyouka’s Quirk Weapon.”

I hear him growl through the speaker. “Those motherfuckers! Are they the ones that took her?! Is she alive?!”

“We don’t know,” I say quickly and loudly, trying to diffuse his temper. I can only hope that Eijirou is there to calm him. “That’s why I’m calling. I know you gave us permission to kill them, but you didn’t say anything about torturing for info.”

“You have permission,” he says, his voice a bit softer than it was a minute ago but still seething with rage. “Use whatever methods possible and take as long as you need.”

“Understood. Disconnecting now.”

I end the call and head back inside the abandoned house that we originally stopped at to look for supplies and survivors. Hitoshi sits in a chair, holding a pistol pointed to one of the bandits we found in the house. A brunette man with patchy stubble and dirt all over him; his clothes are old and tattered, and he wears a tattoo of a peony inside a triangle on his neck. We have his hands bound behind him in the chair he sits in and his ankles tied to the wood legs. The other bandit, hands and feet bound together and sitting on the floor, is a dark-haired man, seemingly around the same age as the first, with a clean shaved face and very long hair. His clothes are in the same condition and he wears the exact same tattoo on his neck as well. Telling us that either they knew each other before and have always had matching tattoos, or it is a symbol of their group.

I approach Hitoshi and the first bandit and take out my own glock pistol from where it usually rests in a holster on my hip. Pointing it to the bandit’s head, I glance over to my partner. He takes this as confirmation that we got permission and puts his gun away, replacing it with a bowie hunting knife. He holds the blade between the gap in his legs and leans forward, giving the man across from him an intense stare.

“What’s your quirk?” Hitoshi asks, likely wanting to get some idea of how dangerous these two guys are before we do anything to them.

The bandit is quiet for a minute, leaning in to get in Hitoshi’s face. “Go fuck yourself.”

Hitoshi quickly grabs the bandit’s throat and squeezes it. The man chokes and sputters as he squirms around his chair, trying to free himself. “You think we’re playing around, fucko? Just answer the fucking question.”

It would be easier if we could use Hitoshi’s quirk to make the man confess, but unfortunately that isn’t possible. The world fell into this purgatory before Hitoshi had gotten the chance to join the Hero course and get proper advanced training for his quirk. And with our lives as the Destroyers, it’s difficult to find the time to train our quirks more. However, Hitoshi can be intimidating enough that people often feel brainwashed into confessing their crimes.

He lets go of the man’s neck and the man takes in a few sharp breaths before answering. “Fuck—Fruit Bearing. I can make fruit appear in my hands; only fruit. It’s a lame fucking quirk.”

“And him?” Hitoshi glances quickly at the other bandit, nodding his head along with it.

“He can talk to plants,” the bandit replies. “At least, that’s what he told me.”

By the sounds of that, I’m guessing these two didn’t already know each other. So, the fact that they have the exact same tattoo in the exact same spot on their necks is suspicious. I have no doubt now that it’s meant to be a symbol of their group; and by the look on Hitoshi’s face, he’s thinking the same.

The lilac-ette holds out his pale hand to me, keeping his intense stare on the man in front of him. He doesn’t need to say anything, our silent communication is strong enough. I place the black velvet choker in his palm, and he holds it in the bandit’s line of sight.

“Why did you have this?” He asks.

“We found it.”

“Bullshit. Try again.”

“I’m telling you, we found—”

The bandit’s answer was cut off by him screaming out in agony. Hitoshi driving the blade of his hunting knife deeper into the man’s knee. Blood spilling out and staining the old worn out jeans.

“I said try again, motherfucker. Why the fuck did you have this Quirk Weapon?”

The man painfully cries out in response, throwing his head back. Hitoshi grabs his chin and forces their eyes to meet again. Violet orbs and white pupils glowing with even more anger as his glare narrows.

“We… We found it-“ another scream erupts from him. Hitoshi turning the blade while it’s still deep inside the man’s knee. “FUCK! OKAY! We… We took it from the fucking girl. The one with the long earlobes.”

“Are you assholes the ones that took her?”

“Not me directly,” the bandit says through heavy pants and groans of pain, “but someone in our group did, yeah.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know, man, it was Nori’s idea—” the bandit cuts himself off and hisses, realization that he said too much hitting him.

Hitoshi brings his gaze to me and my eyes lock onto his. The both of us trying to decide just how much information we could pry out of these bandits. Which questions we should prioritize; what answers we want the most in case if we can’t get everything; and how far we’re willing to go to get those answers.

And memories fill me. Kyouka teased and made fun of me a lot during our time together at UA, but she was still one of my best friends. Even if she often made fun of the way I would short circuit myself, she also always supported me. She was fun to hangout with and always showed me really cool music. After the world fell into what it is now, she often would play guitar in the common room for everyone to ease our nerves.

And I know Momo is hurting. Kyouka was her partner, her best friend, and though I have no proof of this; possibly her lover as well. Or at the very least, their feelings for each other were very clear to everyone else. Momo’s been breaking the rules and going off on her own; searching desperately for Kyouka. And Izuku and Katuski have been letting her, because they know nothing they do or say will be able to stop her from sneaking out on her own. It can’t be helped. There are only ten Quirk Weapons that were made by Mei. Without Kyouka around to use hers, and everyone else already having designated partners and missions of their own, Momo is left alone to find her friend.

Hitoshi looks back to the bandit, knowing which question he wants to ask next. “Is the girl alive?”

The man returns Hitoshi’s gaze with an expression that’s hard to read. It’s almost apologetic but not really. More like he’s just trying to convey his seriousness. “I don’t know.”

And that’s when we knew we weren’t going to get anything more out of these two.

I pull the trigger. Turn to the other man and pull it again.

“FUCKING SHIT!” Katuski screams out as he picks up an empty glass from where it was on the table and throws it against the wall.

Eijirou quickly wraps his arms around the ash blonde, trying to keep him from breaking anything else. “Katuski, please, calm down!”

Izuku, now back from his mission with Shoto, holds out his hands; like he’s trying to surrender in peace. “We gained valuable information today, let’s be thankful for that.”

Hitoshi just stands there in silence, leaning against the arm of the couch as the red and green eyed males try to quell the rage of their friend. I sit on the couch with Momo, who had also just gotten back from her mission in one of our survivor zones and rub small circles on her back as she stares down at her lap. Dark eyes filled with more emotions than I can read. Some sorrow, some relief, some anger.

“I’m sorry we couldn’t get more out of them, Momo,” I say softly, trying to distract her from the shouts of fury from Katsuki as he struggles against Eijirou.

She shakes her head and smiles at me warmly. “No, I’m glad we know what happened to her in the first place,” she then directs her smile at the purple guitar charm in her hand, “and I’m glad we found her Quirk Weapon… I just… wish we found _her._ ”

“I know,” I reply, pulling her in for a hug. “We will, I promise.”

Shoto, leaving Izuku to help Eijirou calm down Katsuki, sits himself down on the other couch next to us. He looks exhausted and pale as he reaches up to his ears. His Quirk Weapons, giant twin shurikens, one ice and one fire, minimized to simple earrings and pierced into his lobes. He takes them out and sets them on the table, then he frees his now mid-back length hair from its half up style and lets the white and red strands fall into his face. He leans back into the cushions and sighs.

“So, this group has a tattoo?” he asks, looking to me.

“Yeah,” I answer. “A peony inside a triangle on the right side of the neck. We’re pretty sure it’s supposed to be like a member’s mark or something since the guy talked about his buddy like he didn’t really know him.”

“He mentioned some guy named Nori,” Hitoshi chimes in. “Said it was his call to take Kyouka. There could be a good chance they got Mei too if this guy’s goal is to kidnap Destroyers.”

“Yes, we can’t deny that possibility,” Izuku says as he approaches us and claims a spot next to Shoto. Leaving a now subdued Katsuki to his partner. “I’ve left Hanta and Mina in charge of the mission to find Mei, so I will let them know of what you learned when they get back from the survivor zone. We’ll decide where to go from there afterwards. For now, I am advising you all to be very careful. If this group is aiming to take Destroyers, then we’re all in danger.”

The three of us nod in response.

In the dead of night, I’m finding it difficult to sleep. The image of a bullet going through flesh and skull stuck on loop inside my head. It’s not the first time I’ve had to take out a living being. When the world is in an apocalypse, people get greedy. They forget that there are other people who are also trying to survive. And I can’t blame them; it’s truly survival of the fittest now. Sacrifices have to be made. But you can’t help the world return to normal by only looking out for yourself. You need others. 

And that’s the mission of the Destroyers. There is a mass amount of VilMechs, yes, but not an unlimited amount. And the people who produced them are no more. Eventually we will destroy them all, and the world will flourish into what it used to be, if not something better.

But even so, it never gets any easier. I’ve taken someone’s life. I’ve _killed_ people. The very thing I once vowed to stop villains from doing. I’m not a bad guy, I know that, none of us are. We do this because sometimes we have to. I am not a villain.

I’m just not the hero I wanted to be.

“Denki…”

I turn my attention to Hitoshi, sitting up in his bed with his eyes locked on me. His expression conveying his concern clearly. I force myself to give him the biggest and brightest smile that I can manage.

“Sorry, feeling a little restless, I guess,” I say in a carefree tone, but he isn’t buying it.

He stands up on his feet and places his hands on the side of his bed. Then he begins pushing it against the floor, not caring about the loud thudding noise the wood frame is making. He keeps pushing until his mattress meets mine, making the two single beds into one. He climbs back under his blankets and lays down next to me. Our eyes connecting again; amethyst pools mixing with golden ones. His white pupils drawing me in to his hypnotizing stare.

And it instantly calms me. _He instantly calms me._

I take a moment to scan over him, taking in everything that is Hitoshi. His lavender hair hasn’t grown out like it has for many others in our group, but it is a bit longer than it used to be and not quite as wild due to the added weight. Still messy though. The dark circles under his eyes are deeper and heavier, somehow making his purple and white orbs even more intense than before. He grows a bit of stubble sometimes but tends to shave it off right away; says he doesn’t like how itchy it is. His body is broader, bigger, bulked up with more muscle. And his skin is paler, like he was carved from moonlight.

I want to burn every detail about him into my memory forever. I want to brand my brain with every curve and line of his body and face. I want to keep every aspect of his personality and every moment we’ve spent together sealed inside a chest and tuck it away in my heart.

Because tomorrow, or the next day, or the next, it could all disappear from me.

Hitoshi takes my hand in his and squeezes it tightly. Cold and calloused fingers digging into my palm.

And my heart skips a beat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I absolutely hate the amount of research I had to do to figure out what kind of gun and knife I wanted them to use in that scene lmao


	6. update (not a chapter)

hey hey guys!

Before I get into things, I'd like to thank you all for reading. I'm so glad that you guys are enjoying this story and I apologize that it isn't updated as frequently as the other story. Trying to do two fics at once turned out to be more difficult than I expected because my creativity would get blocked more easily and I would burn out.

With that being said, the reason I am updating you all like this is because I actually need to put this fic on a short break. Not long at all. Just until my Idol Denki ShinKami fic is done. Then I will jump right back to this one.

The reason for this is because I'm actually almost to the end of the Idol Denki fic, so all my creativity is hyperfocused on that and my chapters for this story are not coming out good.

I want you guys to have quality chapters from me. I don't want to just keep giving you guys bad chapters for the sake of keeping a regular update routine.

Again, the break won't be long at all. We are very close to the end of the Idol Denki ShinKami fic and my writer's creativity is very focused on getting it done as soon as possible.

Then once it's done, I will continue this fic by itself. And once this one is done, I'm going to take a short break from long fics and do some cute oneshots for ya'll. Then we'll get into our next long fic (which i'm still taking votes for in the Idol Denki fic)

Again, I'm so sorry and thank you all so much for reading and enjoying this story. I promise it will be back very soon and with much better chapters.

I love you all!

-Jinko Kaminari


	7. Update 2 (not a chapter)

"Jinko where have you been? You haven't posted anything in like 20 days"

^No one has actually complained about me being gone but I feel like I need to explain.

So I had started getting ready to come back to this fic. Chapter 6 is started and partway typed through. I also have a oneshot that's a little over 2000 words typed so that's also a work in progress. As well as a ton of ideas with in-progress story boards.

But then something happened

My health has kinda taken a turn. It's nothing serious, I'm not gonna die or anything like that, but it has been a major problem in my daily routine.  
Basically what's going on is that I'm sort of not sleeping. Like I'll sleep for a couple hours max and then I just can't sleep anymore. I tried taking a sleep aide and that caused me to sleep for 13 hours, which made things worse.  
And I'm sure I don't really need to explain this, but when I don't sleep, it really messes with my creativity and I end up in a huge block cause I just don't have the energy to write. or at least, to write anything decent.

I've tried staying up all day and night and then going to bed between 9 and 10pm; that didn't work.  
I took a smaller dose of sleep aide medicine; that didn't work.  
I've tried asmr, subliminals for shifting, warm milk, meditation; nothing has worked.

I don't know why it's happening. I can only assume it's related to either stress or cabin fever from being home all the time. But I'm trying whatever I can to fix it.

It also could be related to anxiety because I actually just got hired for a state job (for anyone who doesn't know what this is or doesn't live in america, it's sorta like a government job. you have to take exams for them and it can take a really long time to get in but they have good pay and great benefits, as well as tons of potential for upward mobility). I haven't started yet, my first day is the 21st. But I'm very nervous about it cause it's a pretty different kind of job from what I'm used to.

So as far as my new job goes, what does this mean for the fanfics?  
Don't worry, I'm still going to be writing fanfics and oneshots. I just may not be able to update super often, but I certainly will post as many chapters or oneshots as I can.

I know you guys have been waiting a long time for this story to continue. Finishing the idol Denki AU fic took longer than I was really expecting. But I will be back to continue this soon, I just need to figure out how to fix my sleeping issue so I can be healthy and have enough energy to write decent chapters for you guys.  
(If anyone has any suggestions on what to do for my insomnia, feel free to leave them in the comments)

So yeah, I just wanted to give you guys a quick update on what's going on and why I've been gone for so long. I'm going to try really hard to at least maybe get some short and sweet oneshots done and posted so you guys at least have _something_ from me.

Speaking of which, I wanted to ask your guys opinion on something!  
So I was watching MHA again some time ago and there was this scene where they were talking about the hero costumes and they show all the students own drawings of their costumes. And when they showed Iida's sketch of his costume, I noticed that it actually looked really good. So I have this headcanon now that Iida sketches in his free time and I thought to myself "hey that would be a really good oneshot idea"  
Originally I was going to do it with an OC of mine, but I don't think many readers are all that interested in OC ships. So I started thinking about what ships I could do for this oneshot idea and there's two I really like. And I want you guys to tell me which one you would prefer to see:

SeroIida or IidaUraraka

Let me know in the comments and I'll take a vote count :) I'm also going to ask friends in my discord for their opinions and count their votes as well because they are also readers of mine.

Thank you all for your understanding, I really hope I can fix my health issue soon so I can get back to writing fics and oneshots for you guys. But until then, I'll keep trying whatever I can and continue to work hard on making decent chapters and oneshots.

**Author's Note:**

> Want to support me? Consider joining my patreon!
> 
> https://www.patreon.com/JinkoKaminari


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